Angel and Buffy: Painting the Town Red
by J. Watson
Summary: Set during Season Five of Angel and pre-Season Eight of BTVS, Detective Kate Lockley has started a new life in Seattle, Washington. When a serial killer begins a killing spree, Kate must protect a young girl who may have seen the perpetrator. Will Kate be able to keep the girl alive long enough to solve the case? How will Angel and Buffy be able to help?
1. Calling Card

It was another cold, rainy night in Seattle, Washington. Detective Jay Benson had just reheated some leftovers when he received the news. _Another homicide_.

"What have we got here?" asked Detective Benson, as he lifted up the yellow tape. He asked his question loud enough for C.S.I. Eddie Rivera to hear it.

"The victim's name is Danny Cross. He was gutted from his groin to his neck," said Rivera.

"Same M.O. as the Lamont case?" asked Detective Benson, as he crouched down to get a better look.

"It looks like this guy has the same crescent mark on his neck," said Rivera, pushing away the shirt collar on the victim's body.

"This guy also matches how Greg Lamont looked," said Benson, "As with the other ten men found in the last year. What else can you tell me?"

"The victim didn't give much of a struggle. He must have been with somebody familiar, and then got caught by surprise," said Rivera.

"Any other details?" asked Benson.

"I found something a few inches from his body. Take a look," said Rivera. He used his flashlight to cast a beam onto a matchbox: "Fountain of Diamonds" was printed on it.

"'Fountain of Diamonds'…that's an upscale bar by Smith Tower," said Benson, "I'm going to have the new detective investigate any leads."

"You said the men each matched a common profile. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Rivera.

"A serial killer? It would appear so," said Benson, "The victims all were found in King County. Or it could just be some hits. Maybe this time we'll have better leads."

"Do you want me to keep processing the scene?" asked Rivera.

"Please do," said Benson. As he walked away from the crime scene, Benson made a call on his cell phone.

"Hey it's me. We found another one. Can you go to the Fountain of Diamonds? Yeah, it's the bar in Pioneer Square. Check the office fax machine. You'll have all the information you need. Right. Keep me posted."

Benson closed his cell phone. He was hoping the new detective wouldn't screw things up.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," said the detective, "Danny Cross wasn't a frequent visitor?"

The bartender was shown the victim's photograph.

"Like I said, I've never seen him before in my life."

"So, if we checked the surveillance tapes, we won't see Danny Cross?"

"The cameras are there for show. They don't work."

"Listen, a man was murdered just a few hours ago. If you don't cooperate, somebody else can wind up dead."

"I don't know anything about that guy, so I wash my hands clean."

"Is that so? I'm guessing that's your Porsche parked outside."

"Yeah, and...?"

"According to our records, your license is suspended. You know it's a serious offense, especially with all those unpaid parking tickets."

"Okay, all right, we don't have to go there."

"Let's try this again, then. Did you see Danny Cross earlier tonight?"

"My shift had just started, and I saw Danny Cross leave. I really didn't attend to him."

"Who did?"

"My coworker, Mariani..."

"Last name."

"...Yusof. She might have attended to him. Her shift ended a half-hour before mine."

"Any way to contact her?"

"Well, I don't think I should be giving you that information…"

"It's either your coworker or you…which is it going to be?"

"All right…I'll give you that number."

After giving the detective the phone number, the bartender tried to be apologetic.

"I'm sorry about earlier. It's just that we got to keep things hush-hush around here, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get it. It's "mistress central" in this dump. If I don't get the answers I want, we'll be in touch again."

The bartender watched as the detective left. _Man_, the bartender thought, _that Detective Kate Lockley is a real bitch_.


	2. Coupons for the Glass Ceiling?

Upon entering her apartment, Kate threw her keys into a tree-shaped dish—just like she did every evening. Like clockwork, she changed out of her work clothes and slipped on a bathrobe.

She looked out of her window, and saw her neighbor in the building across from her. Every night, at the same time, she always saw a woman at her dining table—counting money or clipping coupons. She was always alone, too preoccupied with her business to notice a nosy neighbor. Even though she knew otherwise, Kate still would ponder if the lady had somebody in her life.

Kate herself was alone. She had moved to Seattle because her boyfriend's company moved. No sooner did they arrive that Kate's boyfriend Scott left her. _Another emotionally disconnected man_, thought Kate, as she watched the evening rain settle in. Business guides decorated her coffee table. They were the last remnants of him—parting gifts that sealed the star-crossed nature of their relationship. Kate read them when she wanted to escape the stress of the day. Now, every time she passed a business, she wondered what its practices were.

It was rainy nights like this that made Kate miss Los Angeles. Now that Scott was gone, Kate could admit that she used him as an excuse to leave. Seattle wasn't the mecca that she had envisioned. Yet, it fulfilled her objectives. Kate wanted to move as far as she could from the memories: her father, the harassment that she endured from the LAPD, her suicide attempt, and the brush that she had with the supernatural world. Kate didn't even say goodbye to Angel when she left. She figured that their last interaction was enough. In all honesty, Kate was embarrassed that her depression almost robbed her of everything.

As Kate settled into her chair with a cup of chamomile tea, she looked again at Danny Cross' case file. A killer was out there trying to make a name for himself. Kate knew that Mariani knew something. Was she too scared to become involved?

* * *

Earlier that day, it was another routine interview. Detective Benson contacted the bartender, Mariani Yusof—the last person that might've seen Danny Cross alive. But he called in Kate to participate in the interview.

If Kate was naïve, she would've been flattered. But ever since Benson had a sexual harassment claim made against him, he didn't like to be alone with women. So she was the "token chick"—as Detective Murphy liked to say.

Kate walked in, and saw Mariani seated opposite Benson. Mariani looked considerably petite for a nineteen year old. She looked more like thirteen, with her small wrists and delicate features. Her name sounded Italian, but Mariani looked like she was of Pacific Islander descent. Mariani had her hair styled in a sideways ponytail, and she wore a vintage-style gray coat.

She didn't look like somebody that worked at Fountain of Diamonds. It was a glam pickup joint, and nobody could tell Kate any different.

"This is Detective Kate Lockley, Mariani. She was told by your coworker, Rick, that you were waiting on Danny Cross."

Mariani nodded a hello to Kate. As Kate took a seat, Mariani began her answer.

"Yes, I did serve Danny Cross."

"How long was he there?" asked Benson.

"I'm not sure. I was helping him and then I left early for a doctor's appointment."

"How long was that?" asked Benson.

"I would say about twenty minutes."

"Was kind of condition was he in?"

"Well, he did order two gin martinis at once. I don't know. He could've been stressed or something."

"Did he look stressed?" asked Benson.

"Well, he did seem agitated. I thought that was why he was drinking so much."

"Was Mr. Cross alone all that time?" asked Kate. She could feel Benson's eyes angrily burrowing into her.

"Yes…but he did receive a phone call from someone," replied Mariani

"Do you remember Mr. Cross saying anything while he was on the phone?" asked Kate.

"I was a good ways from him. But when he was almost finished talking, he was yelling about something. I thought he said 'shipment.'"

"Are you sure he said that?" asked Benson.

"I can't be certain. I'm sorry," said Mariani.

"Did Mr. Cross leave with anybody before your shift ended?" asked Kate.

"Not that I could remember," said Mariani. Kate saw something different in Mariani's body language. She gripped the chair's arm briefly.

"Well, thank you for coming down the station," said Benson. Kate looked confused at Benson's abrupt statement. "If we have further questions, we'll give you a call."

"Okay. Thanks, then," replied Mariani, as she gathered her belongings to leave.

* * *

"Why did you let her go?" asked Kate. "She might've told us more about what happened."

"She didn't know anything. Besides, let's talk about you interrupting my interrogation," said Benson.

"Hey, you wanted a woman around to keep you straight. So I thought I'd contribute and go with my gut," responded Kate.

"Your contribution wasn't needed. And I don't need you to keep me straight. If I heard correctly, you were chasing around spooks at your old job. If anything, I should be watching you," said Benson.

Kate bristled from the comment. "L.A. is ancient history. You bring that up again and we'll have a talk outside."

Benson laughed. "Nice tough talk. But you don't scare me one bit. You've got a screw loose, and you need to fix it before you ruin real police work."

Kate kept a straight face as Benson walked away. She wasn't going to follow his lead. She was going to learn all of what Mariani knew, and she didn't care who got in her way. Kate was on a mission.


	3. Confessions of a Streetlamp

_You really are your father's daughter_ thought Kate, as she sat in her stuffy car. Kate timed her lunch to coincide with Mariani's shift. She was banking that the bartender was telling the truth, and that Mariani worked the late afternoon shift.

Yeah, Kate could've taken the easy route and just walked into Fountain of Diamonds. She could've made up some excuse about needing to ask more questions. But Kate wanted to be conspicuous, especially after the disastrous interrogation from yesterday. Not to mention the chewing out that she got from Benson. Why was Kate surprised by Detective Benson's condescending attitude?

It wasn't like her father was a saint that passed out new shoes to the poor kids. She never figured out why he was the way he was. Was he like that before her mother's suicide? Even if somebody could provide the answer in a nice little package, would Kate really want to know? Little truths can deliver immense disasters. Kate's introduction to the supernatural world was less than ceremonious. Her natural sense of order was eventually overtaken by grim acceptance.

Whether you envisioned it as a yellow brick road or the rabbit hole, there was always something unpleasant at the end of the journey. As Kate's posterior began to feel numb, she wondered what terrible knowledge would be uncovered.

* * *

Kate cracked her window to get rid of the windshield frost. _Why does it rain so damn much in this city?_ It was then that she saw Mariani leaving the club. Kate tried to roll back up her window, but the circuits jammed. She jumped out of her car, and slammed the door. _You just flunked Detective 101, Lockley. Get a better damn car. _

She rushed to catch up with Mariani. For a petite girl, she walked like a seasoned power walker. It was when Mariani turned into an alleyway that Kate paused for a moment. Did Mariani know that she was being followed? Kate decided to take her chances, though she unbuckled the holster to her gun.

* * *

Kate proceeded down the dark alleyway. Thanks to an orange streetlight, she could see Mariani at the end. Kate picked up the pace when she suddenly saw Mariani grabbed by the left side. She drew her gun and tiptoed fast by where Mariani was snatched.

"You're really getting on my nerves with your carelessness. What did we tell you about being seen?" said a gruff male voice. Kate peeked around the corner, even though she knew who the voice belonged to.

"It wasn't my fault. The bartender ratted me out," pleaded Mariani to Detective Benson.

"Did he see you steal the phone?" asked Benson.

"No," said Mariani in a small voice.

"No?" asked Benson. "Are you sure? He seemed to identify you real fast."

"I'm sure. He only talked about me because of your partner."

"Doesn't matter," replied Benson. "You're quitting tomorrow."

"What am I going to do about rent?" asked Mariani.

Benson slapped Mariani so hard that Kate could almost feel it. Blood trickled from Mariani's split lip.

"See, that's why I told Davis that you should stay in the house," said Benson. "You're no good at this. The only thing you're good for is lying on your back."

_Must be Trenton Davis_ thought Kate. Davis was a mobster that transplanted from the East Coast. Word on the street was that he took over the docks. But the police couldn't prove it, not even after countless raids. _Crooked cops like Benson must be covering up Davis' tracks. _

"No, don't put me in the house again. I'll be more careful, I swear," said Mariani.

"I don't believe you. I think you're going to do something stupid again," said Benson, as he grabbed Mariani by the chin.

Kate didn't know what to do. She was stuck in an alley with no witnesses. It would be her word against Benson's, and she didn't have the connections that he obviously had. Kate had conflicting voices in her head, but she knew what had to be done. As much as it pained her, and violated her personal code, Kate had to let Mariani be the sacrificial lamb.

"I won't do anything stupid. Here, I brought his phone like you asked. Please don't say anything to him," begged Mariani.

Benson grabbed the phone. "I'll think about it. Now, get the hell out of here before you piss me off even more."

* * *

Kate ducked behind a dumpster, as Mariani ran passed her to the street. She could hear Benson looking at the phone's texts.

"It's me. Yeah, I got the phone. That idiot girl finally did something right. Davis is going to be really happy with this new contact list. We should meet tonight, and hash out the details. We got to find out who's threatening the boss," said Benson. Kate assumed that he was using Danny Cross' phone. Who would care about a dead man's phone?

"I've been throwing the trail off. The precinct thinks we got a serial killer on our hands. But we both know that they're probably hits…"

_Who the hell is he talking to?_ thought Kate, as she tried to hear any trace of the person's voice on the other line. Kate saw the victim files. The men were from various backgrounds: education, age, ethnicity, relationship statuses, etc. What was the link amongst all of them that someone would hire a hit man to take them out?

Kate stayed in her hiding spot as Benson proceeded past her towards the street.

"We'll find out what's going on. In the meantime, I'll steer my cohorts as clear from this as possible," said Benson. "I'm heading over to you. We'll talk more there."

* * *

Kate waited a good twenty minutes before she returned to her vehicle. Luckily, nobody hotwired her car. Who would want to? It was a piece of junk. But her pathetic vehicle was nothing in comparison to the details that Kate was made privy to. She had to find the connection among all of those men.

There was the greater mystery. If Benson was insisting that they were all assassinations, why did the assassin leave behind that crescent mark? So many questions with so few answers. Regardless, Kate had to get close to Mariani. Victim or not, Mariani was involved in this mess. And Kate knew what angle to use: their mutual hatred for Benson.


End file.
